“I think at midfield we felt like we weren’t going to get a player like Jeff with that pick,” Klopas said. “We look at it as there was a player that we wanted and we had scouted the draft pretty well but we just felt like he was a player that we wanted and made it happen.

Larentowicz enters his ninth MLS season with the Fire in 2013 and seems slated to compete for a starting spot in central midfield with another offseason acquisition Joel Lindpere and Fire captain Logan Pause.

One name that didn’t seem quite as likely to be involved in the battle for starting spots was Mexican international Pavel Pardo.

Klopas confirmed Thursday that Pardo is contemplating bringing to end a career that saw the midfielder play in two FIFA World Cups and earn 148 international appearances for his country.

“Pavel’s been a fantastic player for us but I think he’s getting to a point where he’s making decisions about coming back or not coming back. I think we have to be smart and proactive, knowing that here’s a guy that’s given so much, but he’s not a spring chicken anymore.

“We’re bringing guys in that are going to help us not only this year but in the future and in key positions.”

Pardo is not expected to be at Toyota Park when players report for physicals Friday morning and Klopas said he a decision on the former Mexican international's future would like come in 7-10 days.